Machine for forming tubes



Dec. 11, 1923.

H. 'w. BUNDY MACHINE FOR FORMING TUB ES Filed Sept. 15. 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 r A A. h.

(Pun-n12 H. w. BUNDY Dec. 11 1923.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 11, 1923.

UNITED STAKE-S HARRY W. BUNDY', 015 DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

MACHINE FOR FDRMING TUBES.

Appiiostion filed Eeptember 15, 1922. Serial No. 588,339.

To all whom it may concern:

it known that HARRY lV. Boner, a zen of the United States, residing at roit, in the county of Wayne and State llichig'an, has invented certain new and iii improvements in Machines for Form fubes, of vhich the following is a speciication.

'lhis invention relates to a machine for making multiple ply soldered tubin It is especially designed for making small tubing such as radiator tubing and gasoline line tubing used in automobiles.

is the object of the invention to take a tinned or solder coated strip metal. form this into a multiple ply tube and then sweat and solder the tubing, to reduce and size the tubing, and to set the solder. These features will be best understood after a complete description has been given of the invention.

in the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation of the apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the roll train, the larger portion of, which is omitted b Fig. l, which is a broken view.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken through the second sweating and soldering die.

2: is a section on the line 4-4 of Fi 5 is a section on th line 5-5 of Fig. 6 is a section through the Water jacket which functions to set the solder.

Fig. 'i' is longitudinal. section on the line 7-4 of Fig. 8 is a section through the strip that is used to make the tube.

Figs. 9 to 14-, inclusive, are sections through the rolls showing the work in various stages oi formation.

Fig. 15 is a. longitudinal section of the scraping and sizing die.

In my prior applications Nos. 552,362 and 460,551, as methods carried out by the machine here to be describedand claimed are described and claimed. In the present application the machine as it is actually used in production is portrayed and will be described.

A tinned strip, coated with a mixture of about seventy parts tin and thirty parts lead, is used as the stock. This is tinned on a'machine such as described and claimed in my copending application No. 588,338, filed September 15, 1922. This tinned strip is mounted on a spool a, passes through the during mrid bath 7), then up betweenthe rolls 0, which eliminate any excess of iluxing acid; the tinned strip then passes into the dies 6, and the rolls f. inasmuch as the specific construction of the dies and rolls which shape the strip as it travels longitudinally, is novpart of the invention, these have not been shown and will not be described detail. Sufiice it to say that suitable r s and dies are employed so that the s 5 passes through the configurations shown in Figs. 9 to 14+, inclusive. The rolls shown in these figures are the rolls that will accomplish this purpose, but they will have to work in connection with suitably formed dies and guides between the rolls to shape the tube and guide it as it passes from roll set to roll set. The dies and the rolls together will be generically referred to as the forming apparatus. a

From the forming apparatus thetube is pushed or pulled through the first sweating die 9; these are cast iron dies having upper and lower sections as shown in Fig. 4-, provided with a tenon and groove fit; in the center is a passageway of circular cross section to guide the tube. through. These dies are kept very hot by the flames from the gas burner 2', two separate dies are shown so as to cut down the length of each unit to avoid warping difficulties. However, any number of dies could be used.

In the second sweating die it isza longitudinally running slot 7a, to receive the soldering strip m that is fed down at a determined speed by the feed rolls n, driven by the belt 0, at a speed having a predetermined ratio with respect to the speed of travel of the machine. As explained in my prior method application No. 552,362, I find that the best results are obtained when additional solder is applied to the seam of the tubing as it is. pushed or drawn through the sweating die. I find that by capillary action the molten solder between the plies draws in more solder from the strips and makes an unexpectedly uniform distribution of the solder such as could not be obtained either by sweating alone or by applying the solder strip" to the seam alone.

At suitable points along the top sections of the sweating dies, vertical openings pare bored from the top into the center and the tube passageway, and horizontal openings 9 are bored in from the sides of the die to meet these vertical openings. These provide a passageway through which the carbonized fiuxing acid can accumulate as and scraping openings t; in the center of the block is a large opening a, in which is the perforated gas pipe 0:. Air passages y lead in obliquely from the sides of the block.

Vertical passageways 2' run up through the fins, two for each fin. One passageway on each side of the sizing and scraping open ing. The mixed air and combustible gas is ignited and caused to burn. This keeps the die block and the fins relatively hot so that the solder will not set until the tube has been drawn through the scraping and sizing operations. The openings in each succeeding fin will be slightly less so that the tube will be drawn down to the exact sha e desired. At the same time any excess sol er will be scraped off from the exterior of the tube, leaving only a very thin film of solder on the exterior. v

The tube immediately passes into the solder-setting apparatus, 1, which comprises simply a jacket fed with warm water from the pipe 2; water is pumped from a reser voir 3, under the bedof the machine up. into this jacket, runs into the trough 4, then into the tray 5,?an'd down through the pipe 6, into the reservoir. a

The machine here described will make a very small size of tubing such ;as is used in automobile radiators and gas lines at a rel- .atively fast rate. This tube is so nicely soldered together and the plies so tenaciously adhere that it requires a large nuiiiber of severe twisting strains to break the tubing. It afiords a product which makes a better tubing than lock seamv tubing for radiators and is much cheaper than seamless tubing, and substantially as good as seamless tubing for these purposes. OrdinarilyI use brass stock, but obviously other metal could be used in the; formation of the tubing.

What I'claim is: 1 1. In a machine for the urpose specified, the combination of am forming apparatus and tube sweating apparatus arranged in line and operating simultaneously to continuously propel a strip. of tinned metal'through the forming apparatus and sweatin into a tube and then complete the tube by sweating portions of the same together by ply tube and, through the sweating ap- 7 paratus to melt the tin [coating and cement f the plies togethei 3. In a machine for the purpose specified,

the combination of a tube forming apparatus and sweating apparatus, arranged in line for the purpose of fashioning a longitudinally travelling tinned metal strip into tube form with a plurality of plies, said sweating apparatus sweating the gether by heating the tube and me ting the coating of solder or tin on the strip, while the same is travelling longitudinally.

4. In a machine for the purpose specified, the combination of means for fashioning strip' stock of longitudinally travelling solder-coated metal into a tube having a plurality of plies, and sweating apparatus arranged in line with said forming ap paratus to take the travelling tube and sweat the plies together, said ma s and apparatus operating to propel the stock continuously through the same to coincidentally fashion the tube and cement the plies together.,

5. In a machine forthe purpose specified, the combination of means for forming longitudinally travelling strip stock of metal into a tube having a plurality of plies,

intoa tube having a plurajgtjhpf plies, and

sweating die arranged in e with said tube forming means to tak the travelling tube as it leaves the fgr ing means an sweat the plies together while still travelin In a machine for the purpose specified, the combination of a: fluxing acid b'ath, means for fashioning a longitudinally travelling tinned strip stock of metal as it leaves the fluxing acid bath into a tube having a plural ply cross section, and means located in line with said tube fas ,'oning means, for taking the travelling tubeas it issues out of the tube forming means and sweatin the plies together. 8. In a machine fort e purpose specified, thecombination of means for forming longitudinally travelling strip stock of metal into a tube with overlapping portions,

sweating apparatus to first fashionthe strip means for soldering and sweating overlaplies toping portions of the travelling tube as it issues from the forming apparatus, and

means for sizing and reducing the tube as it issues from the sweating apparatus.

9. In a machine for the purpose specified, the combination of means for forming longitudinally travelling metal strip stock into a tube with overlapping portions, means for soldering and sweating the plies together I as the tube issues from the tube forming apparatus, means for reducing and slzing the tube as it issues from the sweating means, and means for setting the solder as the tube passes the sizing and reducing means.

10, In a machine for the purpose specified, the combination of means for forming. longitudinally travelling tinned strip stock,

into a tube hav'ng a p ral ply formation, means for sweating the tube comprising a longitudinally running diehaving an opening therethrough for guiding the tube as it leaves the forming means, and means for heating the die.

1. In a machine for the purpose specified, the combination of means for fashioning longitudinally travelling strip stock of tinned metal into a tube having a plural ply formation, means for sweating the tube the seam of the tube. I

. 12. In a machine for the purpose specified, the combination of means for fashioning longitudinally travelling tinned strip stock of metal into a tube having a pluralply' formation, means forlsweating the travelling tube as it issues from the tube form ing apparatus, and means for feeding additional solder to the seam ata predetermined stock of metal into a tube having a plural.

7 opening.

'ing a fied, a sizing and means for heatin as it passes out of the fash oning means, and means for feedlng additional solder to ply section, a. sweating die arranged in line with said tube forming means, and provided with a solder opening, and means for feeding additional'solder mto the said 14. In a machine for the purpose specie fied, the combination of means for fashioning longitudinally travelling tinned strip stock of metal into a tube having a plural ply cross section, a sweating die arranged in line with the tube fashioning means, to take the tube as it issues from said means, and sweat the plies togethem die being provided with avrecess and a solder strip over the seam of the tube to feed additional solder thereto, and means for heating the die. I

15. In a machine for the purpose specified, a scra ingand reducing die, comprisplura ity of spaced fins, having openings a 1 through which the tube passes, and means for heating said fins.

I 16. In a machine for the purpose speciscraping d e, comprising a block provided. with a plurality of fins on its top, spaced apart and having aligned openings of gradually reduced 'size, and the block and fins.

17. In a machine for the purpose specified, a'sizing and scraping die, comprising a block provided on its top with a plurality of spaced apart fins, having tube passage openings, arranged in line, and of gradually reduced size, and having vertical openings at the sides ofsaid tube passages, said block rovi'ded With-a longitudinal central openmg, communicating With-said vertical 0 enings, and means for furnishing a com ustible gas and a-combustion-supporting gas to thesaid central openings and vertical openings.

ture;

HARRY W. BI-INDY.

gned and of gradually reduced size,-

In testimony whereof-I afiix my 'signav 

